Machines and methods for making flatbreads

ABSTRACT

Various examples are related to making flatbreads such as, e.g., a compact machine for making flatbread in a residential kitchen-type environment or other countertop, tabletop, or space limited applications. In one example, a machine includes a hopper including a mixing chamber configured for bulk addition of raw materials for preparation of flatbread pieces; a mixing assembly configured to blend the raw materials into a flatbread dough mixture; a dough piecing assembly configured to generate a dough piece from an extruded portion of the flatbread dough mixture; a lower platen configured to transfer the pressed flatbread dough piece to a cooking zone on the dough contacting surface for cooking; and a flatbread ejection station configured to remove a cooked flatbread piece from the machine. A second cooking zone can be included to further cook the pressed flatbread dough piece prior to ejection from the machine.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, co-pending PCTApplication No. PCT/US2017/019660, filed Feb. 27, 2017, where the PCTapplication claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. provisionalapplication entitled “Machines and Methods for Making Flatbread” havingSer. No. 62/300,790, filed Feb. 27, 2016, both of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Many nationalities traditionally incorporate unleavened flatbread intomeals. For example, roti (also called “chapatti”) is a staple food inmany South Asian and Asian countries, as well as in other parts theworld. Similarly, tortillas are a staple food in Mexico and otherCentral American countries. While the basic ingredients used to prepareboth tortillas and roti are very simple—generally, flour, water and oiland, optionally, salt—the process of making these flatbreads is timeconsuming, especially since during most meals each person consumes twoor more pieces.

The making of flatbreads has traditionally been part of the domesticduties of women in a household, especially with extended families thatinclude older women or girls. However, as family size decreases, womenof all ethnic backgrounds enter the workplace, and/or youngprofessionals remain single longer into adulthood, the labor intensivenature of preparing foodstuffs such as rotis and tortillas has made itless possible to make flatbread on demand in many households.Store-bought flatbreads have become widely available, but thesenonetheless often lack the flavor and quality of freshly made. Moreover,even though they might be working outside the home and lack the timerequired to make batches of roti, tortillas etc., people often desire toprovide their families with homemade food instead of that purchased fromstores to evoke feelings of cultural significance.

Previous attempts have been proposed for in-home machines to make rotisand chapatis. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,358 (hereafter the '358patent, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety)describes an in-home roti maker with a dough mixing station and fourcircular rotating platens upon which individual pieces of flatbreaddough are dispensed and flattened. The flattened dough pieces are theninverted and placed on a conveyor for cooking. The machine disclosed inthe '358 patent, among other things, requires a large footprint thatmakes it unsuitable for most residential kitchens.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,820,221 (hereafter the '221 patent, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety) is a more recent attempt toprovide a machine to make flatbreads on demand in a residential kitchensetting. Notably, the '221 patent focuses on the supposed difficulty ofmeasuring ingredients in the right amounts and includes features thatcertainly add to the cost and complexity of the machine disclosedtherein. Such features include a number of sensors that appear toprecisely dispense the raw material amounts and adjust the variousaspects of the resulting flatbread, such as in texture, thickness andthe like, and the resulting machine incorporates a number of “fail safe”features to allow a novice cook to create edible flatbreads. Since thereare usually only about three ingredients in basic unleavened flatbreads(flour, water and oil and optionally, salt), and these ingredients arevery inexpensive, the extensive engineering features of the machinedisclosed in the '221 patent, as well as the related U.S. Pat. Nos.9,125,421, 9,125,422 and US Patent Publication Nos. 2015/0181897,2015/0181896, 2015/0181895, 2015/0181894 and 2015/0181893 (all thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties), would appear to be an overly complicated solution to makingunleavened flatbread in a residential kitchen environment. In short, itwould appear unnecessary to build expensive fail safe electronics into ahousehold appliance that uses low cost ingredients to make a simple foodproduct. Unlike the manual mixing of flatbread, the dough is mixed onedough ball at a time. This may result in a dough quality that is notsimilar to the batch dough produced by the batch mixing of flatbread.

Similarly, US Patent Publication No. 2015/0044340, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, alsopresents a fairly complex solution to making flatbread products at home.In the '340 publication, a flatbread dough is incorporated into a singleuse capsule. The machine of the '340 publication is purported to befully automatic, requiring virtually no user effort outside of supplyingthe capsules. As discussed previously, during most meals, several piecesof flatbread, such as roti and tortillas are consumed by each person.With a single capsule required for each flatbread piece, much storagespace is needed with this machine. The dough capsules, which have ashelf life of up to 6 weeks, also require refrigeration during theentire storage time from manufacturing, to the grocery store, to thekitchen environment. Moreover, each capsule will be priced at a highindividual cost. For tortillas, this cost per piece is at least 5 timesmore than store bought tortillas cost, and is at least 10 times morethan that of homemade. For rotis, the cost is at least 3 times more thanstore bought, and is at least 8 times that of homemade. Moreover,considerable environmental waste would be caused from disposal of thenon-biodegradable dough capsules if use of this product becomeswidespread, which reduces the suitability of this solution forwidespread use.

There remains a need for a simple machine that can allow “homemade”flatbreads such as, e.g., roti and tortillas and the like to be made ina residential kitchen environment. The present disclosure provides forthis and other benefits.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to making flatbreadssuch as, e.g., roti or tortillas. In one aspect, a compact machine formaking flatbread in a residential kitchen-type environment or othercountertop, tabletop, or space limited applications is disclosed.Broadly, the flatbread machine can comprise a series of stations orassemblies (e.g., a raw material addition station, a mixing station, adough piecing station, a dough pressing station, at least one cookingzone, a flatbread ejection station and/or combinations thereof) thatfacilitate the preparation of flatbread in small batches forconsumption. Each of these stations can be in operational communicationwith one or more station to allow a plurality of flatbread pieces to beprepared substantially automatically after a user places appropriate rawmaterials in a mixing chamber and initiates operation of the process.The present disclosure also includes methods of making a plurality offlatbread pieces using the machine described herein.

In one embodiment, among others, a machine for preparing flatbreadincludes a hopper comprising a mixing chamber configured for bulkaddition of raw materials for preparation of a plurality of flatbreadpieces and a mixing assembly in operational communication with thehopper, the mixing assembly configured to blend the raw materials in themixing chamber. The raw materials can comprise at least flour, water andoil and, optionally, salt, where each of the raw materials are not eachengageably stored with the machine prior to addition of the rawmaterials to the hopper. The raw materials can be mixed for a timeperiod suitable to allow the raw materials to be mixed into a flatbreaddough mixture. The machine further comprises a dough piecing assembly inoperational communication with the mixing assembly, the dough piecingassembly configured to generate a dough piece from the flatbread doughmixture; a dough pressing assembly in operational communication with thedough piecing assembly, the dough pressing assembly comprising apressing platen configured to apply suitable pressure to the dough pieceto form a pressed flatbread dough piece on a dough contacting surface ofa lower platen located below the pressing platen; a cooking zone inoperational communication with the dough pressing assembly, where thelower platen is configured to transfer the pressed flatbread dough pieceto the cooking zone on the dough contacting surface; and a flatbreadejection station configured to remove a cooked flatbread from themachine. The dough piecing assembly can comprise a cutting device thatcuts an extruded portion of the flatbread dough mixture to produce thedough piece, the dough contacting surface can comprise a substantiallynon-stick surface, and the cooking zone can comprise a heating elementlocated below the lower platen opposite the dough contacting surface,the heating element configured to maintain a cooking temperature whilethe pressed flatbread dough piece is located in the cooking zone.

In one or more aspects of these embodiments, the cooking temperature inthe cooking zone can be maintained in a range from about 300 deg. F. toabout 600 deg. F. The machine can further comprise a second cooking zonesubsequent to the first cooking zone, wherein the second cooking zonecan be maintained at a second cooking temperature for a defined periodof time while the pressed flatbread dough piece is located in the secondcooking zone. The second cooking temperature can be higher than thefirst cooking temperature of the first cooking zone. In one or moreaspects of these embodiments, the machine can further comprise anactuation arm configured to transfer the pressed flatbread dough piecefrom the first cooking zone to the second cooking zone. The pressedflatbread dough piece can be transferred from the dough contactingsurface of the lower platen to a cooking surface of a lower cookingplatform, where the pressed flatbread dough piece is flipped over whilebeing transferred to the cooking surface of the lower cooking platform.The second cooking zone can comprise a second heating element locatedbelow the lower cooking platform opposite the cooking surface, thesecond heating element configured to maintain the second cookingtemperature while the pressed flatbread dough piece is located in thesecond cooking zone. The second cooking zone can comprise a radiantheating element positioned above the cooking surface of the lowercooking platform, the radiant heating element configured to applyradiant heat to the pressed flatbread dough piece in a range from about750 deg. F. to about 1000 deg. F.

In one or more aspects of these embodiments, the pressing platen cancomprise an integrated heating element configured to preheat a pressingsurface of the pressing platen prior to applying pressure to the doughpiece. The pressed flatbread dough piece can have a thickness from about0.1 mm to about 3.2 mm. The dough piecing assembly can comprise a shapeddie through which the flatbread dough mixture is extruded, the doughpiece having a shape corresponding to the shaped die. The pressedflatbread dough piece can be substantially triangular, square orrectangular in shape. In one or more aspects of these embodiments, themixing assembly can comprise a mixing paddle located at the bottom ofthe mixing chamber of the hopper. The hopper can comprise a gateseparating the mixing chamber of the hopper from an extrusion troughincluding a conveying screw configured to extruding the flatbread doughmixture for cutting by the cutting device. The gate can be released tofacilitate transfer of the flatbread dough mixture to the extrusiontrough after a specified rest period. In one or more aspects of theseembodiments, the machine can further comprise a hopper lid configured tocover the mixing chamber of the hopper, the hopper lid includingopenings configured to allow a portion of the raw materials to be addedto the mixing chamber during blending by the mixing assembly.

In another embodiment, a process of making a plurality of flatbreadpieces includes adding bulk raw materials to a mixing chamber of ahopper of a flatbread machine and mixing the raw materials in the mixingchamber for a time period suitable to allow the raw materials to blendinto a flatbread dough mixture, where the raw materials are mixed when ahopper lid is in a closed position over the mixing chamber and a useractivates operation of the flatbread machine, The raw materials cancomprise flour, water and oil and, optionally, salt, where each of theadded raw materials are not engageably stored with the machine prior toaddition of the raw materials to the hopper. The process furtherincludes generating a dough piece by cutting an extruded portion of theflatbread dough mixture with a cutting device, the dough piece depositedon a dough contacting surface of a lower platen for pressing; pressingthe dough piece with a pressing platen to form a pressed flatbread doughpiece on the dough contacting surface of the lower platen, the pressingplaten configured to apply suitable pressure to the dough piece to formthe pressed flatbread dough piece with a specified thickness;transferring the pressed flatbread dough piece to a cooking zone on thedough contacting surface of the lower platen; and ejecting a cookedflatbread piece from the flatbread machine after cooking the pressedflatbread dough piece in the cooking zone. The dough contacting surfacecan comprise a substantially non-stick surface, and the cooking zone cancomprise a heating element located below the lower platen opposite thedough contacting surface, the heating element configured to maintain acooking temperature while the pressed flatbread dough piece is locatedin the cooking zone for a specified time period.

In one or more aspects of these embodiments, the process can furthercomprise transferring the pressed flatbread dough piece to a cookingsurface of a lower cooking platform in a second cooking zone, where thepressed flatbread dough piece is flipped over while being transferred tothe cooking surface of the lower cooking platform, and where the cookedflatbread piece is ejected from the flatbread machine after cooking thepressed flatbread dough piece in the second cooking zone. The processcan further comprise heating the pressed flatbread dough piece on thecooking surface of the lower cooking platform with a radiant heatingelement positioned over the cooking surface prior to ejecting the cookedflatbread piece from the flatbread machine. The process can furthercomprise preheating a pressing surface of the pressing platen prior topressing the dough piece on the dough contacting surface of the lowerplaten. The process can further comprise depositing at least one drop ofoil or melted butter on the cooked flatbread piece before ejection fromthe flatbread machine.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims. Inaddition, all optional and preferred features and modifications of thedescribed embodiments are usable in all aspects of the disclosure taughtherein. Furthermore, the individual features of the dependent claims, aswell as all optional and preferred features and modifications of thedescribed embodiments are combinable and interchangeable with oneanother.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of an example of a flatbreadmachine in accordance with various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2D are perspective and top views illustrating an example of thecomponent arrangement within the flatbread machine of FIGS. 1A and 1B inaccordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a graphical representation illustrating an example of pressingand cooking zones with the flatbread machine of FIGS. 1A and 1B inaccordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of processingcircuitry within the flatbread machine of FIGS. 1A and 1B in accordancewith various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flatbread makingprocess utilizing the flatbread machine of FIGS. 1A and 1B in accordancewith various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 includes perspective views of another example of a flatbreadmachine in accordance with various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 7A through 7F are perspective, top and side views illustrating anexample of the component arrangement within the flatbread machine ofFIG. 6 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flatbread makingprocess utilizing the flatbread machine of FIG. 6 in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of methods related to systems,apparatus and methods for making flatbreads. A compact machine formaking a plurality of flatbread pieces on demand in small batches isdisclosed. Reference will now be made in detail to the description ofthe embodiments as illustrated in the drawings, wherein like referencenumbers indicate like parts throughout the several views. While severalimplementations may be described in connection with the includeddrawings, there is no intent to limit the disclosure to theimplementations disclosed herein. To the contrary, the intent is tocover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.

The term “substantially” is meant to permit deviations from thedescriptive term that do not negatively impact the intended purpose. Alldescriptive terms used herein are implicitly understood to be modifiedby the word “substantially,” even if the descriptive term is notexplicitly modified by the word “substantially.”

The term “flatbread” includes, as a non-exclusive list, roti, tortillasand other regional flatbreads that can suitably be made in accordancewith the systems, apparatus and methods herein. In some aspects, thedisclosed embodiments herein are not suitable for preparing doughs thatinclude egg. Still further, in some aspects, the embodiments herein arenot suitable for preparing doughs that include added yeast or otherleavening ingredients and, as such, the raw materials used to preparethe flatbreads do not include added yeast, baking soda, baking powder orother leavening ingredients.

In one aspect, a compact machine can be used for making a plurality offlatbread pieces in a residential kitchen-type environment. Referring toFIGS. 1A and 1B, shown is an example of a self-contained flatbreadmachine 100 suitable for countertop or tabletop use that can prepareflatbread in small batches for consumption. Broadly, the flatbreadmachine 100 can include a series of stations or assemblies such as,e.g., a raw material addition station, a mixing station, a dough piecingstation, a dough pressing station, at least one cooking zone, aflatbread ejection station and/or combinations thereof. Each of thesestations or assemblies can be in operational communication with one ormore other stations to allow a plurality of flatbread pieces to beprepared substantially automatically after a user provides theappropriate raw materials to the flatbread machine 100 and initiatesoperation of the production process. The flatbread machine 100 isconfigured to accept the raw materials in the quantities provided by auser, and to produce a batch of flatbread pieces through the automatedmachine process. A control panel or interface 103 can be used to controlthe operation of the flatbread machine 100 and provide statusindications or message during the flatbread making process.

As shown in the example of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the flatbread machine 100includes a hopper 106 having a mixing chamber into which the rawmaterials can be added. The hopper 106 can be part of a raw materialsaddition station, a mixing station, or a raw materials addition/mixingstation. In the example of FIGS. 1A and 1B, a vertical hopper 106 isused with an opening at an upper end to receive the raw materials. Thehopper 106 can have a size suitable for holding an appropriate amount ofingredients or raw materials typically needed for a single batch offlatbreads. For example, after turning on the unit, the user can selectthe desired operation of the flatbread machine 100 through control panel103 and provide the appropriate types and quantities of raw materials tothe hopper 106.

The user can provide the desired quantities of raw materials into thehopper 106 through the opening either directly (uncovered) or through ahopper lid 109. It is significant to note that the hopper 106 is notconfigured to operationally engage with a capsule in which flatbreaddough is incorporated, as shown in the '340 publication. Still further,the hopper 106 is configured to include substantially all ingredients asprovided in bulk by the user, as opposed to having individual chargingcontainers as is shown in '221 patent. The hopper opening can beconfigured to allow all raw materials to be introduced into the mixingsection in bulk, that is, substantially simultaneously. In someimplementations, the hopper lid 109 can include one or more slots orholes that allow the raw materials (e.g., water and/or oil) to dribbleinto the hopper 106.

The flatbread machine 100 can be provided with a set of measuring cupsthat assist the user in creating differently sized flatbread batches,and therefore differing amounts of flatbread pieces per batch. In someaspects, the flatbread machine 100 can be configured with one or morestorage bays that allow the measuring cups to be stored with theflatbread machine 100 when not in use. The hopper 106 can also be scoredwith markings to provide visual indications to the user as to the amountof raw materials to be used for various batch sizes.

The hopper 106 can be made of a food-grade plastic material such as,e.g., polyethylene, polycarbonate; an appropriate metal such asstainless steel or other suitable material. The hopper 106 can beremovable from the body of the flatbread machine 100 to enable cleaning.In this regard, the hopper 106 can be communicatively coupled andremoveably engaged with the framework and/or other components of theflatbread machine 100. Still further, variously-sized and removeablyengaged hoppers 106 can be provided to allow the user to select a hoppersize for a corresponding flatbread batch size. Such removeablyengageable hoppers 106 can be configured for storage when not in usesuch as, e.g., by nesting or other appropriate fashion.

The batch size can be the number of flatbreads likely to be consumed ina single meal for a typical household. For instance, the hopper 106 canbe of a suitable size to allow about 2 or about 4 or about 8 or about 10or about 12 or about 16 or about 20 or about 24 or more flatbread piecesto be prepared from a single charging of raw materials into the hopper106. The hopper 106 can have a capacity of about 1 cup or about 2 cupsor about 3 cups or about 4 cups or larger, where any value can form theupper or lower endpoint in a range, as appropriate. Still further, thehopper 106 can be of suitable size to allow charging of about 1 cup toabout 4 cups of flour. In general, about 1 cup of flour will make about4 to about 6 rotis, whereas 4 cups of flour will make about 18 to about22 rotis.

As previously mentioned, the hopper 106 can include a hopper lid 109that allows the opening to be closed so as to reduce the possibility ofdirt or other undesirable materials from entering the hopper 106 orother portions of the mixing station. The hopper lid 109 can include a“lock out” feature to prevent a user's fingers from getting caught inthe flatbread machine 100 during mixing of the raw materials. The hopperlid 109 can have one or more opening(s) where the dry ingredients can beadded to the larger opening. There can also be one or more smalleropening(s) for the addition of one or more liquid ingredient. In use,the raw materials are incorporated into the hopper 106 as desired by theuser, and then mixed to form the dough to make the flatbread pieces. Theraw materials can be mixed in the hopper 106 using a mixing apparatusconfigured to enable efficient mixing of the raw materials to preparethe flatbread dough such as, e.g., a mixing paddle, a single mixingscrew, or array of mixing blades. As the raw materials are mixed, theliquid ingredients (e.g., oil and/or water) can be slowly added to themixing chamber by trickling through the smaller opening(s) of the hopperlid 112. This process closely simulates hand mixing of the dough werewater is added little by little to form the dough ball. The mixingapparatus can be configured for removal from with the hopper 106 toallow for cleaning and/or replacement.

In the example of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the raw materials are mixed using amixing paddle 112 located at the bottom of the hopper 106. The operationof the mixing paddle 112 can be controlled through a drive unit (e.g., astepper motor) located in the flatbread mixer 100 below the hopper 106.For example, the mixing paddle 112 can be detachably attached to a shaftof the drive unit that extends through the bottom of the hopper 106. Thevertical configuration of the hopper 106 allows the flatbread dough tobe mixed to the desired consistency. To better ensure that the rawmaterials do not become overly heated during the mixing operation, themixing paddle 112 can be fabricated from a suitable plastic material.

In some embodiments, the flatbread machine 100 can be configured tomonitor the amount of raw materials added to the hopper 106. This can beaccomplished using sensors (e.g., optical, load, or ultrasonic sensors)that can be used to determine if a minimum amount of raw materials hasbeen added to the mixing chamber (e.g., by height, weight, or volume) toallow the flatbread making process to begin. For example, if the userpushes the ON/OFF switch, the flatbread machine 100 will not beginmixing the raw materials unless there is at least a threshold amount ofingredients (e.g., about ½, ¾ or 1 cup of flour) in the hopper 106.

The user can start the mixing process once the raw materials are addedto the hopper 106 through the control panel 103 or an ON/OFF switch. Aspreviously discussed, the hopper lid can be configured with a “lock out”mechanism that prevents operation of the mixing apparatus unless thehopper lid 112 is closed and fully engaged. This can reduce thelikelihood of a user injury. In some cases, liquid ingredients can beadded to the hopper 106 though the hopper lid 112 as the mixing istaking place. The mixing station can also include a braking mechanismand/or an emergency shutoff switch to immediately stop the mixingapparatus, if needed.

Once the desired amount of wet and dry raw materials are added to thehopper 106, the raw materials can be mixed into an appropriate doughconfiguration for cutting, pressing and, later, cooking. The hopper 106and/or hopper lid 109 can be made of transparent material allowing theuser to see the batch of dough being mixed. If desired, the user can addadditional ingredients (e.g., more flour or oil or water) to change theconsistency of the mixed dough to their liking. The mixing station canoperate continuously and run until all or substantially all the rawmaterials are mixed into dough. A timer can be used to control themixing time of the raw materials. For example, a timer can beincorporated into the drive control circuitry of the drive unit for themixing paddle 112 to control the duration of mixing. In otherimplementations, the timer can be included in other control circuitryand provide a control signal to the drive control circuitry to start,stop or adjust the duration of the mixing. The timer can also be inoperational communication with other electronic controls of the machine.For instance, the control panel 103 can provide an indication of mixingtime based upon a signal from the timer. After mixing is complete, theresulting dough ball may be allowed to rest for a short duration of time(e.g., about 15 minutes) in the mixing chamber before moving theflatbread dough to the dough piecing station. Such resting of the doughcan help make the flatbread softer and taste better. The option to allowthe dough ball to rest may be selected by the user through the controlpanel 103.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, one side of the hopper 106 includesan opening between the mixing chamber and the dough piecing station. Theopening is sealed by a gate 115 that defines one side of the hopper 106when closed. The gate 115 is configured to open when mixing is complete,or after the rest time, to allow the dough ball to be transferred to thedough piecing station. During the mixing process, the gate 115 can beheld in the closed position using a latch mechanism 118 such as, e.g., asolenoid controlled pin. To open the gate 115, the latch mechanism 118can be released (e.g., by retracting the pin) and the gate can pivotupward to provide a clear path to the piecing station. The gate 115 canbe spring loaded to assist in opening, or can be opened using, e.g., amotor drive or a solenoid. With the gate 115 in the open position, thedough can be moved from the mixing chamber to the dough piecing stationby rotating the mixing paddle 112. After the flatbread making process iscomplete, the gate 115 can optionally be returned to the closed positionwith the latch mechanism holding it in place.

In the example of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the dough piecing station includes ahorizontal trough 121 and auger or conveying screw 124 that areconfigured to guide the flatbread dough to an outlet where the dough isextruded and cut into appropriately sized pieces. The trough 121 can beenclosed by sidewalls and a cover to reduce the possibility of dirt orother undesirable materials from entering the trough 121 or otherportions of the piecing station. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, sidewallscan extend on opposite sides of the gate 115 to help guide the mixeddough into the trough 121. The sidewalls can be integrated as part ofthe hopper 106 and the hopper lid 109 can be extended to cover thetrough 121 and auger or conveying screw 124.

Rotation of the auger or conveying screw 124 advances the dough ejectedfrom the hopper 106 along the length of the trough 121. When theappropriate length of dough is provided at the outlet, such as can bemeasured by an advance of dough along a length of the auger or conveyingscrew 124, a portion of dough will be cut to an appropriate size by ablade to provide a portion control aspect for the flatbread. The doughpiecing station is operationally engaged to a drive unit to allow thedough to be cut into a piece for cooking, where the cut lengthcorresponds to an amount of cut dough suitable to provide an uncookedflatbread dough suitable for cooking after pressing as described furtherherein.

Referring next to FIGS. 2A-2D, shown are perspective and top viewsillustrating an example of the component arrangement within theflatbread machine 100. The drive unit 127 can be located at a first endof the trough 121, below the hopper 106, and the outlet 130 can belocated at a second end of the trough 121 as illustrated. The drive unit127 can include a drive motor (e.g., a stepper motor) and gearingconfigured to detachably engage the auger or conveying screw 124 throughthe first end of the trough 121. The advance of the thoroughly mixeduncooked flatbread dough as directed by the auger or conveying screw 124generally provides enough force to extrude the dough through the outlet130. In the example of FIGS. 2A-2C, the outlet 130 includes an elbow todirect the dough extruded by the auger or conveying screw 124 in adesired direction. When approximately the appropriate amount of dough isextruded through the outlet 130, a cutting device 133 engages with theextruded dough, either from a side or above or below the dough, to cutthe dough piece. In the example of FIGS. 2A-2C, the cutting device 133includes a pusher arm having a concave end configured to pass across theelbow opening to cut the dough piece from the extruded dough andposition the dough piece on a lower platen 136 for pressing and cooking.The lower platen 136 can be an indexing platform that can be rotated orrepositioned to transport the dough pieces between pressing and cookingzones. In some embodiments, the lower platen 136 can be a stationaryplatform and the dough pieces can be moved between the different zonesusing an external mechanism such as, e.g., a rotating arm. While FIGS.2A-2C illustrate using an auger or conveying screw 124 to extrude themixed flatbread dough from the outlet 130 of the trough 121, otherextrusion arrangements can also be used. For example, FIG. 2D shows atop view of the extrusion trough 121 including a plunger 125 that can beadvanced along the length of the trough 121. The advance of thethoroughly mixed uncooked flatbread dough as directed by the plunger 125generally provides enough force to extrude the dough through the outlet130.

While the example of FIGS. 2A-2C utilizes an elbow and pusher arm to cutthe dough, other configurations can also be utilized to cut theflatbread pieces at the outlet 130 of the dough piecing station. Forexample, the dough can be horizontally extruded from the outlet 130 ofthe trough 121 (without the use of an elbow) and cut into appropriatesized pieces by a vertical or horizontal cutting blade or wire. Agravity-based guide path (e.g., a sloped ramp with sides or tube) can belocated below the outlet 130 to direct the severed piece of dough to theappropriate position on the lower platen 136 for pressing and cooking.In some embodiments, a die, through which the dough can be extruded in adefined shape, can be included at the outlet 130 of the trough 121. Insome aspects, the die may be a circle which is most common shape of theflatbread. But in other aspects, the shape may be a triangle, square,rectangle, star or other appropriate shape as desired. The user can usea die of their choosing, allowing the flatbread machine 100 to makebreads in a variety of shapes as desired by the user.

As discussed above, the piece of flatbread dough can be directed ontothe lower platen 136 by the cutting device 133 or by other appropriatepositioning mechanisms such as, e.g., a guide path and/or an actuatingarm that can reposition the piece of dough on the surface of the lowerplaten 136. In the example of FIGS. 2A-2C, the lower platen 136 is arotating indexing platform that is used to transport the flatbread doughbetween the pressing station and cooking zones. The lower platen 136 canbe made from metal, ceramic, or other appropriate cooking surfacematerial, and the dough facing surface of the lower platen 136 caninclude a non-stick surface (e.g., ceramic coated, Teflon® coated ortreated with another suitable coating) to facilitate movement of theflatbread on and off the surface. Where the lower platen 136 is astationary platform, the non-stick surface can also aid in movement ofthe dough pieces on the lower platen 136 by the external mechanism. Inother implementations, the lower platen 136 can be a conveyor belt orother linear or rotational assembly configured to facilitate movement ofthe flatbread dough between the pressing station and cooking zones. Theindexing platform or the external mechanism can be driven using a motoror other controlled drive unit 139. As shown in FIG. 2A, a stepper motor139 can be engaged with an edge of the indexing platform and used tocontrol rotation of the surface.

The pressing station includes a pressing arm or platen 142 that isengageable with the dough piece situated on the lower platen 136 toflatten the dough into a pre-cooked flatbread piece. After cutting, thedough piece can be positioned approximately in the center location ofthe pressing platen 142, a location that will result in the pressedflatbread dough being pressed approximately outwardly from the center ofthe pressing platen 142. This can be accomplished using, e.g., thecutting device to move the severed dough piece to the appropriateposition on the lower platen 136. For example, the indexing platform orexternal mechanism can then be moved to position the dough piece at theappropriate location below the pressing platen 142. The pressing platen142 can then be moved downward to press the dough against the lowerplaten 136, which will result in the uncooked pressed flatbread dough tobe approximately circular or other shape based upon the die throughwhich the dough was extruded. For example, a square-shaped dough piececan result in somewhat square shaped flatbread. The pressing platen 142can have a circular or other appropriately shaped (e.g., square orrectangular) pressing surface. In some embodiments, the pressing platen142 can be from about 5 inches to about 9 inches, or about 6 inches toabout 8 inches, in diameter. The size of the pressing platen 142 cancorrespond generally to the resulting diameter or size of the flatbreadwhen the cut dough piece is pressed generally from a center location ofthe pressing platen 142. In some embodiments, the pressing platen 142may be stationary and the lower platen 136 may move against the pressingplaten 142 to flatten the dough piece into a pressed flatbread piece.

The pressing platen 142 can be operationally engaged with a rack andpinion mechanism that is itself operationally engaged with a motor thatis configurable to allow the platen to perform the pressing step. Forexample, a stepper motor can be used to control the vertical movement ofthe pressing platen 142. The pressing platen 142 can also beoperationally engaged with a hydraulic press or other mechanical device(e.g., a rack and pinion type device or a linear motor type device) toprovide the pressing force to flatten the dough. Such pressing platen142 and any equipment associated therewith will suitably control theforce applied by the platen 142 or the distance that the platen 142travels, either or both of which can be utilized to provide suitabledough thickness. In this way, different flatbread thicknesses can beprovided by the flatbread machine 100. In use, the mechanical aspects ofthe pressing station are configurable to provide the amount of pressureappropriate to provide a pre-cooked flatbread piece having a thicknesssuitable to make flatbread such as roti, tortillas etc. The pressingthickness may be controlled to press the dough piece to the appropriatethickness for cooking as specified by the user through the control panel103 (FIG. 1A). In this regard, after flattening and prior to cooking,the dough piece can be flattened to a thickness of from about 0.1 mm toabout 3.2 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 1.5 mm, or from about 0.3 mm toabout 0.8 mm.

The pressing platen 142 can include a warming feature, such as heatingelements located internally therein, radiating outwardly to a doughfacing surface of the platen 142. At least the dough facing surface ofthe pressing arm or platen 142 can comprise a non-stick surface. Inseparate examples, the dough facing surface can be ceramic, Teflon®coated or coated with another suitable coating. In addition to theheating element in the pressing platen 142, a lower heating element 145can be located below the lower platen 136 aligned with the pressingplaten 142. Preheating the pressing platen 142 and the lower platen 136using the lower heating element 145 before the dough piece is pressedcan improve the flattening. For instance, preheating of the platen 142,in addition to the other heating elements in the flatbread machine 100,can be initiated when mixing of the raw materials begins. The surfacetemperature of the pressing platen 142 can be preheated to a range fromabout 325 deg. F. to about 525 deg. F., or from about 350 deg. F. toabout 475 deg. F., or from about 370 deg. F. to about 425 deg. F. Afterthe pressing is complete, the pressed dough can be moved by or on thelower platen 136 to a cooking zone (e.g., by rotating the lower platenor moving the pressed dough using an external mechanism such as, e.g.,an actuation arm).

As the indexing platform is rotated, the pressed flatbread dough exitsthe pressing station, and moves into one or more cooking zone(s). Theuse of a rotating indexing platform provides a substantially continuouscooking station, which can improve the operation of the cooking process.The lower platen 136 comprises a surface material that has a coefficientof friction that both allows the flatbread dough to be cookedappropriately, and to be easily removable when cooked. Moreover, thesurface of the lower platen 136 should have a heat transfer coefficientthat allows heat to be transferred appropriately from one or moreheating elements to the flatbread dough. In this regard, the lowerplaten 136 can comprise a ceramic coated material, which is bothrelatively non-stick and has a suitable heat transfer profile.

Generally, the flatbread can be cooked by a combination of direct(contact) heating through the lower platen 136 (e.g., via heatingelements below the cooking surface) and/or via radiant heat from heatingelements above the flatbread. This process allows both sides of theflatbread to be fully cooked. Conductive heating elements below thelower platen 136 can be configured to provide a cooking temperature forthe dough facing surface of the lower platen 136 from about 250 deg. F.to about 1000 deg. F., or from about 400 deg. F. to about 975 deg. F.,or from about 500 deg. F. to about 940 deg. F. A lower surface of thelower platen 136 can be fully or partially enclosed within the housingof the flatbread machine 100 to prevent the user from coming in contactwith the heated surface of the platform. The machine housing can beinsulated to reduce heat transfer to the exterior of the flatbreadmachine 100. Insulation can also be provided between the different zonesto allow for different operating temperatures and to redirect heat tothe cooking zone by way of radiant heat. Transfer of radiant heatthroughout the cooking station can be facilitated by a fan that isconfigured to improve circulation of the heat within a cooking zone, andheat can be vented out of the flatbread machine 109 through, e.g.,ventilation openings as shown in FIG. 1A.

There can be one or more cooking zone(s) in the cooking station.Referring to FIG. 3, shown is a graphical representation illustrating anexample of the relationship between the pressing and cooking zones ofthe flatbread machine 100. In this example, there are two cooking zonesin the cooking station where different heating profiles are provided toallow the flatbread to be subjected to different temperatures during thecooking process. After the flatbread dough is initially pressed to thedesired thickness by the heated pressing platen 142, the flatbread canbe transferred by or on the lower platen 136 to a first cooling zone,where a second lower heater 148 can apply heat to a first surface of thepressed flatbread through the lower platen 136. For example, the heaterscan be used to heat the dough in a temperature range from about 300 deg.F. to about 600 deg. F., or from about 400 deg. F. to about 500 deg. F.for about 2 seconds to about 30 seconds, or from about 3 seconds toabout 20 seconds.

The indexing platform or the external mechanism can be configured tomove/rotate substantially continuously. Yet further, the indexingplatform can be configured to stop one or more times during theflatbread process to allow the pressed flatbread dough to be subjectedto heating in the cooking zone for a time longer than if the indexingplatform was moving substantially continually. In some implementations,the indexing platform can be configured to stop or slow in cooking zoneone so that the pressed flatbread piece is subjected to heating in thatzone for a longer period, for example about 10 to about 90 seconds. Inthis regard, the flatbread dough piece can bake substantially tocompletion in cooking zone 1. When the pressed flatbread dough piece hasbaked for the specified period of time, the indexing platform orexternal mechanism can begin to move/rotate again and the flatbread canenter a second cooking zone that is maintained at a similar or highertemperature than cooking zone 1.

In the example of FIG. 3, the flatbread piece is removed from cookingzone 1 and sent to cooking zone 2. This can be accomplished using anactuation arm configured to push the flatbread piece off of the lowerplaten 136, where it passes downward through a channel 151 that flipsthe flatbread piece before landing on a lower cooking platform 154. Thelower cooking platform 154 can be constructed in the same fashion as thelower platen 136 with a non-stick surface to facilitate movement of theflatbread on and off the surface. A third lower heater 157 can applyheat to a second surface of the flatbread through the lower cookingplatform 154. The temperature of cooking zone 2 can be from about 400deg. F. to about 600 deg. F., and can be applied for about 5 seconds toabout 40 seconds. The substantially cooked flatbread dough piece can bepuffed and or browned in this higher temperature cooking zone 2.

The flatbread can also be cooked via radiant heat from a radiant heatingelement 160 situated above the flatbread in the cooking zone 2. Suchradiant heat can be generated by, for example, resistive heatingelements 160. Transfer of radiant heat throughout the cooking zone canbe facilitated by a fan that is configured to improve circulation withinthe cooking zone. The radiant heating can apply heat in a range fromabout 750 deg. F. to about 1000 deg. F. for about 5 seconds to about 30seconds. The application of the radiant heat can ensure that the firstside of the flatbread is evenly toasted.

When the cooking cycle is completed, that is, when the flatbread doughpiece leaves one or more cooking zones, which is timed according to thespeed of the indexing platform (or external mechanism) and temperatureapplied in the different cooking zones of the flatbread machine 100, thefully cooked flatbread enters an ejection zone where it is pushed or“kicked” off the lower cooking platform 157 by an arm or spatula forcollection, such as onto a plate or into a basket. The surface of thelower cooking platform 157 is suitably non-stick to allow the flatbreadto be easily removed from the cooking surface. The cooked flatbreadpiece can be provided to the user through an exit door 163, such as theclosed door 163 shown in FIG. 1B.

In some embodiments, the flatbread machine 100 can be configured todeposit one or more drops of oil or melted butter onto the finishedflatbread piece before it is ejected from the machine. The flatbreadmachine 100 can include a reservoir configured to hold oil or clarifiedbutter. The oil or butter may be warmed in the reservoir to aid indispensing the liquid on the flatbread pieces. A dispensing valve can beused to drip or spray the oil or butter on the flatbread.

Those parts of the flatbread machine 100 that touch the raw materialsand flatbread dough are readily cleanable. In this regard, at least thehopper 106, hopper lid 109, trough 121, auger or conveying screw 124,extrusion outlet 130, extrusion plate or die, cutting device 133 can beindependently removed from the flatbread machine 100 for cleaning andreassembly. The lower platen 136 and/or lower cooking platform 154 canbe accessed through one or more covered openings 163 and/or 166 in theflatbread machine 100 to allow thorough cleaning when desired. Whencleaning the lower platen 136, the user can engage a switch that canallow the platform to rotate freely to allow all of the platform surfaceto be cleaned. The pressing platen 142 can also be accessible forcleaning. The user may clean the pressing platen 142 and the lowerplaten 136 through a special door opening that allows for wiping cleanthe surfaces. This can be done when the flatbread machine 100 is not inoperation and all surfaces of the machine, including the internalsurfaces, are at room temperature. Any piece of the flatbread machine100 that is removable for cleaning should be dishwasher safe. Theelectronics are sealed so that water damage does not occur duringcleaning.

The flatbread machine 100 can include at least one control panel 103(FIG. 1A) for user operation. The control panel 103 provides a userinterface with a control system of the flatbread machine 100. Thecontrol panel 103 can interact with processing circuitry configured tocontrol the flatbread making process. Referring to FIG. 4, shown is anexample of processing circuitry 203 that can be utilized in a flatbreadmachine 100. The processing circuitry 203 can include at least oneprocessor circuit, for example, having a processor 206 and a memory 209,both of which are coupled to a local interface 212. The local interface212 may comprise, for example, a data bus with an accompanyingaddress/control bus or other bus structure as can be appreciated. Storedin the memory 209 are both data and several components that areexecutable by the processor 206. In particular, stored in the memory 209and executable by the processor 206 are flatbread application 215 andpotentially other applications.

Also stored in the memory 209 may be a data store 218 and other data.The data stored in the data store 218, for example, is associated withthe operation of the flatbread machine. For example, the data store 218can include flatbread recipes, operational parameters, user preferencesetting parameters, and other data or information as can be understood.In addition, an operating system 221 may be stored in the memory 209 andexecutable by the processor 206. The processing circuitry 203 canmonitor the system conditions through one or more sensor(s) 224 (e.g.,temperature sensor(s), proximity sensor(s), displacement sensor(s),pressure/force sensor(s), etc.) and provide control signals to variousdrive and/or control circuitry 227 as has been described.

The processing circuitry 203 can interface with a user of the flatbreadmachine through the control panel 103 to accept inputs and provideoutputs of the flatbread machine. To this end, the control panel 103 cancomprise a display configured to indicate, e.g., system status and/orprompt for user inputs. The control panel 103 can also include one ormore buttons or keypad to communicate with the user. The control panel103 can be configured to allow for various operational inputs andoutputs such as, but not limited to, power ON/OFF, start/stop, “cyclefinished,” audible signals, batch size (e.g., 1 cup, 2 cups, 3 cups,etc. and/or number of flatbread pieces and, in some aspects, desiredthickness of the pieces. A separate power switch can be located atanother location on the flatbread machine 100 to isolate the powersupply from the other circuitry in the flatbread maker 100.

The processing circuitry can also be configured to allow the flatbreadmachine 100 to communicate with an external device though acommunication link or other network connection. For example, theflatbread machine can come with a smartphone app that connects to themachine via Bluetooth®, WiFi, or other appropriate communication link.The smartphone app can allow the user to control several aspects of theflatbread making process such as, but not limited to, the selection ofthe flatbread recipe, flatbread thickness, the cooking temperature(s),etc. With this, a user can define their own custom flatbread recipes,and get it right every single time with users choice of ingredients.They can even use the app with other flatbread machines 100 whenvisiting friends, for example. This enables users to carry theirfavorite recipes in their smart phone and make flatbreads at home, atthe office or at a friend's house. The app can also allow the user toaccess new flatbread recipes that can be used with the flatbread machine100, and/or share or trade recipes with other users. The ability tocommunicate through the communication link or network connection alsoallows for downloading and/or updating the flatbread machine firmwareand/or software (e.g., through the smartphone app), and upload and/ortransfer machine diagnostic data to support resources such as a website.

The control panel 103 can allow the user to select one or more flatbreadrecipe(s) for preparation by the flatbread machine 100. For example, theuser can select one of a variety of flatbread recipes (e.g., roti,tortilla, etc.) through the control panel 103, or can enter or modifyrecipes as desired. The raw materials used to produce the flatbread willdepend on the type being made. For example, atta flour can be used tomake roti, while white, yellow and/or blue corn flour can be used forcorn tortillas and wheat flour can be used for flour tortillas. Anexample of a typical roti recipe includes:

-   -   3 cups of chapatti flour (also known as durum wheat atta) or 1½        cups whole wheat flour+1½ cups all-purpose flour;    -   1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or oil;    -   1-1½ cups warm water; and    -   (optionally) ½-1 teaspoons salt.        Rice flour or gluten free flour (e.g., a lentil flour mix) can        be used to make gluten free roti, and other roti types can be        prepared without oil/ghee. The flexibility and versatility of        the flatbread machine 100 makes it capable of handling a wide        range of raw materials, making it capable of accommodating an        extensive variety of common and less common flatbread recipes.

An example of a typical corn tortilla recipe includes:

-   -   Corn flour (e.g., 46+/−5% dried nixtamalized corn flour,        moisture 13%+/−2%);    -   Water: 54+/−5% (warm temperature); and    -   Additives <2% salt or other materials.        Dry or liquid flavorings can be added for incorporation in the        mixed dough, if desired. For example, spice or other flavor        packet mixes can be added to the dry mix of ingredients to make        spicy or sweet flatbreads. Jalapeno oil or pieces can be added        to make spicy tortillas, for example. Other ingredients may also        be used to make other types of flatbreads. For example, raw and        chopped vegetables such as, e.g., fenugreek leaves, spinach,        pre-cooked and mashed vegetables such as green peas, potatoes,        yams, etc. can be added to make special (or designer)        flatbreads.

Referring to FIG. 5, shown in a flowchart illustrating an example of theflatbread making process using the flatbread machine 100 of FIGS. 1A and1B. Beginning at 303, the flatbread machine 100 can be activated by auser through the control panel 103 (FIG. 1A) and/or an ON/OFF switch. Insome implementations, the user can select a flatbread recipe forpreparation by the flatbread machine 100. The user can also specifyserving size, which can be used by the flatbread machine 100 to specifyquantities of raw materials needed to prepare the flatbread pieces.Activation of the flatbread machine 100, can also initiate operation ofthe heating elements to preheat the pressing platen 142 and the cookingzones in preparation for cooking the flatbread pieces.

At 306, the user adds the bulk raw materials (e.g., flour, water, oil,etc.) into the hopper 106 (FIGS. 1A-1B) in the appropriate amounts. Insome cases, a portion of the raw materials can be added directly to thehopper 106, and then a remaining portion of the raw materials can beadded through the hopper lid 109 (FIGS. 1A and 1B). For example, liquidingredients can be dribbled into the hopper 106 through slots in thehopper lid 109.

With the hopper lid 109 installed over the hopper 106, the raw materialscan be mixed at 309 by, e.g., varying rotation speed and/or direction ofthe mixing paddle 112 in the hopper 106. The ingredients can be blendedfor a defined period of time as specified by the selected recipe. Themixing should occur for an appropriate time to thoroughly mix the dough,for example, about 30 seconds to about 1200 seconds, where such mixingtime is programmed to be proportional to the amount of raw materialsadded to the hopper 106, as indicated by the user in the activationstep. The mixing period should be sufficient to form a dough ball in themixing chamber of the hopper 106. At the end of the mixing period, itcan be determined whether the flatbread dough should rest at 312. Thiscan be based upon an input from the user, e.g., in response to a promptfrom the control panel 103. If the dough is not to be rested, then thedough ball is transferred to the piecing station at 318. If the dough isto be rested, then at 315 the dough ball held in the hopper 106 for adefined period of time. After the dough has rested, then the processesproceeds to 318 where the dough ball is transferred to the piecingstation.

To transfer the dough ball at 318, the gate 115 in the side of thehopper 106 can be opened using the latch mechanism 118 (FIGS. 1A and 2C)and the mixing paddle 112 can be rotated to push the dough ball into thehorizontal trough 121. The auger or conveying screw 124 can be rotatedto push the dough to the opening 130 at the end of the trough 121. Theauger or conveying screw 124 can be rotated to initially charge thepiecing station, and then rotated by a fixed about to discharge adefined amount of dough from the outlet. Once the appropriate amount ofdough has been extruded, the dough piece is cut and transferred to thelower platen 136 (FIGS. 2A-2C) at 321. In some embodiments, the doughcan be extruded through a die at the outlet 130 to form different shapesof flatbread. In some embodiments, the dough can be extruding using aplunger 125 (FIG. 2D). The piece of flatbread dough can be positioned onthe lower platen 136 using, e.g., a pusher arm or other appropriatepositioning device.

With the dough piece positioned below the pressing platen 142, theplaten 142 can be driven to flatten the dough piece. The thickness ofthe pressed flatbread piece can be specified by the recipe or by theuser. Heating the pressing platen 142 before pressing can assist in theflattening of the flatbread dough. The pressed dough piece can then bemoved by or on the lower platen 136 into cooking zone 1, where theflatbread piece can be cooked at 324 for the specified time needed forthe type of flatbread being cooked (e.g., roti, tortilla, etc.). Aftercooking in zone 1, the flatbread piece can be transferred to cookingzone 2 for additional cooking at 330. As illustrated in FIG. 3, thepartially cooked flatbread piece can be flipped before additionalcooking at the appropriate time and temperature. The flatbread can alsobe cooked via radiant heat from a radiant heating element 160 situatedabove the flatbread at 330. Once the flatbread is fully cooked, andoptionally puffed as desired, the flatbread can be ejected at 333 into auser-supplied container for consumption. If another flatbread piece isto be prepared as 336, then the process returns to 321 where the nextdough piece can be cut and positioned on the lower platen 136 forpressing and cooking. Otherwise, the process comes to an end. Theflatbread piece can be cut, cooked and ejected from the flatbreadmachine 100 in about 30 seconds to about 2 minutes per flatbread piece.

Referring now to FIG. 6, shown is another example of a self-containedflatbread machine 400 suitable for countertop or tabletop use that canprepare flatbread in small batches for consumption. Broadly, theflatbread machine 400 can include a series of stations or assembliessuch as, e.g., a raw material addition station, a mixing station, adough piecing station, a dough pressing station, at least one cookingzone, a flatbread ejection station, and/or combinations thereof. Each ofthese stations can be in operational communication with one or moreother station to allow a plurality of flatbread pieces to be preparedsubstantially automatically after a user places the raw materials in theraw material addition station and the operator activates the flatbreadmachine 400, e.g., through an ON/OFF switch 403 or the like.

In one aspect, the raw materials addition station comprises a hopper 406such as, e.g., a horizontal hopper. The hopper 406 can include a mixingchamber with a size suitable for holding an appropriate amount ofingredients as typical for a single batch of flatbreads, such as thenumber likely to be consumed in a single meal for a typical household.In one aspect, the hopper 406 is of a suitable size to allow about 2, orabout 4, or about 8, or about 10, or about 12, or about 16, or about 20,or about 24 or more flatbread pieces to be prepared from a singlecharging of raw materials into the hopper 406. In some aspects, thehopper 406 can have a capacity of about 1 cup, or about 2 cups, or about3 cups, or about 4 cups or larger in relation to the amount of flourused, where any value can form the upper or lower endpoint in the range,as appropriate. Still further, the hopper 406 can be of a suitable sizeto allow charging of about 1 to about 4 cups of flour. In general, about1 cup of flour will make about 4 to about 6 rotis, whereas 4 cups offlour will make about 18 to about 22 rotis.

In some aspects, a minimum amount of flour may need to be added to allowthe flatbread machine 400 to be engaged. For example, if the user pushesthe on/off switch 403, the flatbread machine 400 will not begin mixingthe flour unless there is at least a minimum (or threshold) amount ofraw materials (e.g., about ½ or about ¾ or 1 cup of flour) in the mixingchamber. The hopper 406 may also need to be covered by a hopper lid 409before mixing can proceed.

In significant aspects, the hopper 406 is not configured tooperationally engage with a capsule in which flatbread dough isincorporated, as shown in the '340 publication. Still further, insignificant aspects, the hopper 406 is configured to includesubstantially all ingredients as incorporated by the user, as opposed tohaving individual charging containers as is shown in the '221 patent.Still further, the disclosure does not incorporate raw materialcontainers that are operationally engaged with the hopper 406 or mixingstation of the flatbread machine 400. Batch processing can producebetter quality flatbread at lower costs.

The flatbread machine 400 can be provided with a set of measuring cupsthat assist the user in creating differently sized flatbread batches,and therefore differing amounts of flatbread pieces per batch. In someaspects, the flatbread machine can be configured with one or morestorage bays or compartments 412 that allow the measuring cups to bestorably engaged with the flatbread machine 400 when not in use, such asshown in FIG. 6. The hopper 406 can also be scored with markings toprovide instructions to the user as to the amount of raw materials to beused for various batch sizes.

In some aspects, the hopper 406 can be made of a food-grade plasticmaterial such as, e.g., polyethylene, polycarbonate or other suitablematerial, or can be made of a metal such as, e.g., stainless steel orother suitable material. The hopper 406 should be removable from thebody of the flatbread machine 400 to enable cleaning. In this regard,the hopper 406 can be communicatively coupled and removeably engagedwith the flatbread machine 400 as discussed elsewhere herein. Stillfurther, variously-sized and removeably engaged hoppers 406 can beprovided to allow the user to select a hopper size for a correspondingflatbread batch size. Such removeably engageable hoppers 406 can beconfigured for storage when not in use, such as by nesting or the like.

The hopper 406 can include a hopper lid 409 that allows the opening tothe mixing chamber to be closed so as to reduce the possibility of dirtor other undesirable materials from entering the mixing station. The lid409 can have a “lock out” feature to prevent a user's fingers fromgetting caught in the flatbread machine 400 while the mixing section isoperational. The hopper opening can be configured to allow all rawmaterials to be introduced into the mixing section in bulk, that is,substantially simultaneously. In further aspects, the hopper lid 409 canhave one or more opening(s) where the dry materials can be added to themixing chamber. There can also be one or more smaller opening(s) for theaddition of liquid raw materials. A hopper lid 409 configured with slotsto introduce the raw materials is shown in FIG. 6.

In use, the raw materials can be incorporated into the hopper opening asdesired by the user. The raw materials are mixable in the hopper 406through use of a single mixing screw, array of mixing blades, or anothersuitable mixing apparatus. The mixing apparatus, whether a screw,blade(s) or otherwise, is removeably engaged with the hopper 406. In theexample of FIG. 6, the mixing apparatus comprises a horizontal screw ormixing blade that can be rotated at different speeds and/or directionsto blend the raw materials into the dough. A mixing blade engaging knob415 illustrates one configuration where the mixing apparatus can beremoveably engaged with the flatbread machine 400. The mixing apparatuscan be suitably configured to enable efficient mixing of the rawmaterials used to prepare the flatbread. To better ensure that the rawmaterials do not become overly heated during the mixing operation, themixing apparatus can be fabricated from a suitable plastic material.FIGS. 7A-7F show perspective, top and side views illustrating an exampleof the component arrangement within the flatbread machine 400, includinga suitable mixing apparatus. As can be seen, the mixing blade 418extends horizontally across the hopper 406 (not shown in FIGS. 7A-7F) toa cutting device 421 such as, e.g., a vertical or horizontal cuttingblade or wire. The mixing blade 418 can be secured in the hopper 406using the mixing blade engaging knob 415.

In some aspects, the user can engage the ON/OFF switch 403 to start themixing process once the raw materials are added to the hopper 406.Because the hopper 406 can be configured with a lock out mechanism, themixing step may not begin unless the hopper lid 409 is fully engaged.This will reduce the likelihood that a user will get her fingers caughtin the mixing blade(s) 418 of the mixing apparatus.

In further aspects, the hopper lid 409 may be shaped to hold liquidingredients (e.g., water or oil) and may have holes or slots to allowfor addition of these ingredients into the mixing chamber on slowtrickle basis. In use, after the dry materials have been placed into themixing chamber of the hopper 406, a switch can be engaged, thus allowingthe mixing apparatus to start mixing only the dry materials. The wetmaterials (e.g., water, oil etc.) can then be introduced through thehopper lid 409 to allow mixing of the dry and wet materials to occur.The mixing station can also incorporate a braking mechanism and/oremergency shut off switch to immediately stop the mixing apparatus, ifneeded.

Once mixing begins and the desired amount of wet and dry raw materialshave been added to the hopper 406, the raw materials can be mixed intoan appropriate flatbread dough suitable for cutting, pressing and,later, cooking. The mixing station can operate the mixing blade 418continuously and run it until all or substantially all the raw materialsare mixed into the dough. The mixed dough can then be formed intoindividual flatbread pieces for cooking as discussed elsewhere herein.The mixing station can include a timer to control the mixing time, wheresuch timer is in operational communication with the other electroniccontrols of the flatbread machine 400. In a significant aspect, themixing apparatus and mixing station do not include an adaptive kneadingmechanism as disclosed in US Patent Publication No. 2015/0181897(hereafter the '897 publication, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety). In this regard, the mixing step utilizeswhat can be termed as “simple mixing,” as opposed to a mixing step thatis monitored and managed by software and sensors as in the '897publication. In further aspects, the mixing step of this disclosure doesnot optimize the kneading of single dough balls, or include a kneadingstep that prepares dough balls as disclosed in the '897 publication.

While mixing, the mixing station can advance the flatbread dough forwardalong with the rotation of the mixing blade 418, such as when the blade418 is configured as a mixing auger, along the length thereof. In orderto obtain adequate mixing, the mixing apparatus can reverse directionperiodically before returning to the forward direction in which themixed dough will be advanced forward toward the piecing station. Whenusing a mixing screw or blade 418, the screw length, diameter and flightcan be configured to provide suitable mixing of the raw materials in adistance that allows the overall size of the flatbread machine 400, inconjunction with the additional features, to be kept within a footprintthat is suitable for use in a residential kitchen or other space limitedenvironment. Similarly, the mixing blade 418 or other device will besuitably configured to allow thorough mixing in an appropriately compactfootprint.

As the dough mixture is advanced along the mixing station, the rawmaterials become suitably blended into a dough to allow a flatbread tobe cooked therefrom. At the end of the mixing process, which correspondsto the dough reaching the exit location of the mixing station, the mixedingredients comprise a dough suitable for cooking the flatbread. In someaspects, the mixed dough may optionally be allowed to rest for a shortduration of time (e.g., for about 15 minutes) before piecing the doughfor pressing and cooking. This can allow for better protein strandformation resulting in a better quality flatbread when cooked. When theappropriate length of dough is provided by the mixing station, such ascan be measured by advancing the dough along an appropriate length ofthe mixing screw, the dough piece can be cut to the appropriate size bya blade to provide a portion control aspect for the flatbread pieces,which corresponds to a cutting or piecing station of the flatbreadmachine 400.

The dough piecing station can be operationally engaged to a drive unit(e.g., a stepper motor) to allow the dough to be cut into pieces forcooking, where the cut length corresponds to an amount of doughsufficient to provide an uncooked flatbread dough suitable for cookingafter pressing as described further herein. The advance of thethoroughly mixed uncooked flatbread dough as directed by the mixingapparatus generally provides enough force to extrude the dough through aplate or die, which can be located adjacent to the cutting device 421.The shape of the die through which the dough can be extruded may vary.In some aspects, it may be a circle which is most common shape of theflatbread. But in some other aspects, the shape may be a triangle, asquare, a rectangle, a star, etc. The user can use a die of theirchoosing allowing the flexibility for the flatbread machine 400 to makebreads of varying shapes as desired by the operator.

When approximately the appropriate amount of dough has been extrudedthrough the plate or die, the motor that is engaged with the cuttingdevice 421 (e.g., a cutting blade, cutting wire, or other suitablecutting device) engages with the dough piece (either from a side orabove or below the dough piece) to cut the dough piece. The cutting orpiecing station is positioned so that, after cutting, the dough piecewill be appropriately situated on a lower platen 424 (e.g., an indexingplatform) for pressing and cooking. An example of a doughcutting/piecing station is illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7F.

In some aspects, the cut dough piece can then be directed onto the flatsurface of the lower platen 424 where the dough will be flattened firstat a pressing station followed by cooking in a cooking station. As canbe seen from the top view of FIG. 7B, the cut dough piece will land onthe lower platen 424 which can be rotated to appropriately position thedough piece in the pressing station. In some aspects, the pressingstation comprises a pressing arm or platen 427 that is engageable withthe dough piece situated on the lower platen 424 to flatten the doughinto a pre-cooked flatbread piece. After cutting, the dough piece can bepositioned approximately in the center location of the pressing platen427. This location allows the flatbread dough to be pressedapproximately outwardly from the center of the platen 427, which willresult in the uncooked pressed flatbread dough having approximatelycircular shape, or other shape based upon the shape of the die throughwhich the dough was extruded. In some aspects, the pressing platen 427is from about 5 inches to about 9 inches, or about 6 inches to about 8inches in diameter. The size of the platen 427 corresponds generally tothe resulting diameter of the flatbread when the cut dough piece ispressed generally from a center location of the platen.

The pressing platen 427 can include a warming feature, such as heatingelements located internally therein, radiating outwardly to a doughfacing surface of the platen 427. An exemplary configuration for thedough pressing platen with heating feature is illustrated in FIG. 7B. Atleast the dough facing surface of the pressing arm or platen 427 cancomprise a non-stick surface. In separate examples, the dough facingsurface can be ceramic, Teflon® coated or another suitable coating. Theflatbread dough can be pressed to the desired thickness as configured bythe user and/or the specified flatbread recipe. The flattened dough canthem be cooked at the configured temperatures as specified by the recipefor the need of the specific flatbread cooking.

In some aspects, the pressing platen is operationally engaged with arack and pinion mechanism 430 that is itself operationally engaged witha motor that can be configured to allow the pressing platen 427 toperform the pressing step. The pressing platen 427 can also beoperationally engaged with a hydraulic press or other mechanical device.Such pressing platen 427 and any equipment associated therewith willsuitably control the force applied by the platen or the distance thatthe platen travels, either or both of which can be utilized to providesuitable dough thickness.

An exemplary configuration of the dough pressing arm/platen is shown inFIGS. 4 and 5. In use, the mechanical aspects of the pressing stationare configurable to provide the amount of pressure appropriate toprovide a pre-cooked flatbread piece having a thickness suitable to makeroti, tortillas etc. The flattening element is configured to press thedough piece to the appropriate thickness for cooking. In this regard,after flattening and prior to cooking, the dough piece can be flattenedto a thickness of from about 0.1 mm to about 3.2 mm, from about 0.2 mmto about 1.5 mm, or from about 0.3 mm to about 0.8 mm.

Once the pressed flatbread dough exits the pressing station of theflatbread machine 400, the flattened dough piece moves into a firstcooking zone by way of the lower platen 424. For example, the use of arotating indexing platform as the lower platen 424 provides asubstantially continuous cooking station, as opposed to discretestations as disclosed in the '358 patent, which improves the operationof the cooking process. In other aspects, the lower platen 424 may be astationary platform and the dough pieces can be moved between thedifferent zones using an external mechanism such as, e.g., a rotatingarm. In other implementations, the lower platen 424 can be a conveyorbelt or other linear or rotational assembly configured to facilitatemovement of the flatbread dough between the pressing station and cookingzones.

The lower platen 424 can comprise a surface material that has acoefficient of friction that both allows the flatbread dough to becooked appropriately, and to be easily removable when cooked. Inseparate examples, the dough facing surface of the lower platen 424 canbe ceramic coated, Teflon® coated or treated with another suitablecoating. Moreover, the surface of the lower platen 424 has a heattransfer coefficient that allows heat to be transferred appropriatelyfrom one or more heating elements. In this regard, the lower platen 424can comprise a ceramic coated material, which is both relativelynon-stick and has a suitable heat transfer profile.

Generally, the flatbread can first be cooked by a combination of direct(contact) heating through the lower platen 424 (via heating elementsbelow) and via radiant heat from heating elements above the flatbreadpiece in the cooking station. This process can allow both sides of theflatbread to be cooked. The lower platen 424 can comprise a heatingfeature. In this regard, the lower platen 424 can include heatingelements, such as conductive heating elements, in an interior portion ofthe lower platen 424. The lower platen 424 is suitably configured toenable the internally generated heat to transfer to the dough facingsurface of the disc to assist in cooking the dough, as well as reducingthe propensity of the dough to stick to the surface thereof. Theconductive heating elements of the indexing platform are configured toprovide a cooking temperature for the dough facing surface of the lowerplaten 424 from about 250 deg. F. to about 1000 deg. F., or from about400 deg. F. to about 975 deg. F., or from about 500 deg. F. to about 940deg. F.

A lower surface of the lower platen 424 can be fully or partiallyenclosed within the housing of the flatbread machine 400 to prevent theuser from coming in contact with the heated surface of the platform. Themachine housing can be insulated to reduce heat transfer to the exteriorof the machine and to redirect heat to the cooking zone by way ofradiant heat.

In some aspects, the flatbread can be cooked via radiant heat fromheating elements situated above the flatbread in the cooking station soas to bake the flatbread. Such radiant heat can be generated by heatingelements 433 such as, for example, resistive heating elements. Transferof radiant heat throughout the cooking station can be facilitated by afan that is configured to improve circulation of the heat within thecooking zone. An exemplary configuration of the heating elements 433(FIGS. 7C and 7F), which in this example are enclosed within a housing436, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. Heat can be vented out of the machine,such as with the slotted vents as shown in FIG. 6.

In some aspects, there will be at least one cooking zone in the cookingstation. In a further aspect, there will be at least two cooking zonesin the cooking station where different heating profiles are provided toallow the flatbread to be subjected to different temperatures during thecooking process. For example, cooking zone 1 can apply a temperature offrom about 300 deg. F. to about 450 deg. F. for about 2 seconds to about30 seconds, and cooking zone 2 can apply a temperature of from about 400deg. F. to about 600 deg. F. for about 5 to about 40 seconds. Radiantheat can them be applied from about 750 deg. F. to about 1000 deg. F.for about 5 seconds to about 30 seconds.

In some aspects, the lower platen 424 can be configured to move/rotatesubstantially continuously. Yet further, the lower platen 424 can beconfigured to stop one or more times during to allow the pressedflatbread dough to be subjected to heating in the cooking zone for atime longer than if the indexing platform was moving substantiallycontinually. In some aspects, the lower platen can be configured to stopor slow in cooking zone one so that the pressed flatbread piece issubjected to heating in that zone for a longer period, for example about10 to about 90 seconds. In this regard, the flatbread dough piece canbake substantially to completion in cooking zone 1. When the pressedflatbread dough piece is substantially baked, the indexing platform canbegin to rotate again and enter a second cooking zone that is maintainedat a higher temperature than cooking zone 1. The substantially cookedflatbread dough piece can travel through cooking zone 2 to for fromabout 5 to about 25 seconds. The substantially cooked flatbread doughpiece can be puffed and or browned in this higher temperature in cookingzone 2.

If the second cooking zone is not used, the flatbread dough can travelthrough cooking zone 1 for a longer time. In this regard, thetemperature of cooking zone 1 can be reduced to account for the longerbaking time.

When the cooking cycle is completed, that is, when the flatbread doughpiece leaves the one or more cooking zones, which is timed according tothe speed of the indexing platform and temperature applied in the atleast two cooking zones of the cooking station, the fully cookedflatbread enters the ejection zone where it is pushed or “kicked” offthe lower platen 424 by an arm or spatula for collection, such as onto aplate or into a basket. As noted, the surface of the lower platen 424 issuitably non-stick to allow the flatbread to be easily removed from thedisc. An example of an ejection arm 439 is illustrated in FIGS. 7A and7B. An exit door 442 from which the cooked flatbread can be ejected isshown in the closed position in FIG. 6.

Those parts of the flatbread machine 400 that touch the flatbread rawmaterials and dough are readily cleanable. In this regard, at least thehopper 406, lid 409, mixing apparatus and housing, extrusion chamber,extrusion plate or die, extrusion plate or die locking apparatus,cutting device 421 are each, independently, removeably engaged with theflatbread machine 400. The lower platen 424 can be accessible through adoor in the machine housing to allow thorough cleaning when desired.When cleaning the lower platen 424, the user can engage a switch thatcan allow the platform to rotate freely to allow all of the platform tobe cleaned by enabling rotation thereof. The pressing platen 427 canalso be accessible for cleaning, such as shown with the access panel inFIG. 6. This can be done when the flatbread machine 400 is not inoperation and all surfaces of the machine, including the internalsurfaces, are at room temperature. Any piece of the flatbread machine400 that is removable for cleaning should be dishwasher safe. Theelectronics are sealed so that water damage does not occur duringcleaning.

The machine includes at least one control panel 445 for user operation.The control panel 445 can interact with processing circuitry configuredto control the flatbread making process as previously discussed withrespect to FIG. 4. Operational inputs and outputs that can providedthrough the control panel 445 can include at least a power ON/OFF,start/stop, “cycle finished,” audible signals, batch size (e.g., 1 cup,2 cups, 3 cups, etc. and/or number of flatbread pieces and, in someaspects, desired thickness of the pieces. The power on/off can beincluded on the control panel 445 or the switch 403 can be located atanother location on the machine as shown in FIG. 6. In some aspects, thecontrol panel 445 can allow for the user to select the recipe theflatbread machine 400 will use. For example, there may be one recipe forroti and another one for tortilla and third one for some otherflatbread.

The raw materials used will, of course, depend on the type of flatbreadbeing made. For example, atta flour can be used for roti. For tortillas,white, yellow and/or blue corn flour can be used for corn tortillas, andwheat flour can be used for flour tortillas. Other optional ingredientsmay be added to the mixing chamber to make other type of flat breads ofuser's choice. For example, the use may add raw and chopped vegetablessuch as, e.g., fenugreek leaves, spinach, pre-cooked and mashedvegetables such as potatoes, or green peas, etc. to make special(designer) flatbreads. Dry or liquid flavorings can also be added, ifdesired. For example, spice mixes can be added to dry mix of ingredientsto make spicy or sweet rotis, or jalapeno oil or pieces can be added tomake spicy tortillas, for example.

Referring to FIG. 8, shown is an example of a process for making aplurality of flatbread pieces with the flatbread machine 400 of FIG. 6.At 803, the user can activate the machine with the control panel 445and/or ON/OFF switch 403. At 803, the user can specify the serving size.The user can add the bulk raw materials into the hopper 406 in theappropriate amounts at 806, such as in the amounts shown above. When thehopper lid 409 is closed, the mixing apparatus can begin blending theraw materials by forward and reverse motion of the mixing blade 418 at809. The mixing can occur for an appropriate time to thoroughly mix thedough, for example, about 30 or about 1200 seconds, where such mixingtime can be controlled by the processing circuitry to be proportional tothe amount of flour added to the hopper 406, as indicated by the userduring activation at 803. When the mixing is completed, the mixing blade418 can move forward to push the correct amount of dough for cutting orpiecing 812 and the dough is cut into the appropriate size at 815. At818, the cut dough piece is positioned on the lower platen 424 forpressing by the pressing platen 427 at 821. The pressed dough piece canthen be moved by or on the lower platen 424 into cooking zone 1 to cookthe flatbread dough for the specified time needed for the flatbreadbeing cooked (e.g., roti, tortilla etc.) at 824. At 827, which may beoptional, the lower platen 424 (or other external mechanism) can movethe partially cooked flatbread into cooking zone 2 for the appropriatetime and temperature. Once the flatbread is fully cooked and optionallypuffed as desired, it is moved into the ejection zone at 830, followedby ejection into a user-supplied container for consumption at 833. Theflatbread can be cut, cooked and ejected from the flatbread machine 400in about 30 seconds to about 2 minutes per flatbread piece.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations setforth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure.Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit andprinciples of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure andprotected by the following claims.

It should be noted that ratios, concentrations, amounts, and othernumerical data may be expressed herein in a range format. It is to beunderstood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity,and thus, should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not onlythe numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, butalso to include all the individual numerical values or sub-rangesencompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-rangeis explicitly recited. To illustrate, a concentration range of “about0.1% to about 5%” should be interpreted to include not only theexplicitly recited concentration of about 0.1 wt % to about 5 wt %, butalso include individual concentrations (e.g., 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) andthe sub-ranges (e.g., 0.5%, 1.1%, 2.2%, 3.3%, and 4.4%) within theindicated range. The term “about” can include traditional roundingaccording to significant figures of numerical values. In addition, thephrase “about ‘x’ to ‘y’” includes “about ‘x’ to about ‘y’”.

Therefore, at least the following is claimed:
 1. A machine for preparingflatbread, comprising: a hopper comprising a mixing chamber configuredfor bulk addition of raw materials for preparation of a plurality offlatbread pieces, the raw materials comprising at least flour, water andoil, and where each of the raw materials are not each engageably storedwith the machine prior to addition of the raw materials to the hopper; amixing assembly in operational communication with the hopper, the mixingassembly configured to blend the raw materials in the mixing chamber,wherein the raw materials are mixed for a time period suitable to allowthe raw materials to be mixed into a flatbread dough mixture; a doughpiecing assembly in operational communication with the mixing assembly,the dough piecing assembly configured to generate a dough piece from theflatbread dough mixture extruded by the dough piecing assembly, thedough piecing assembly comprising a cutting device that cuts an extrudedportion of the flatbread dough mixture to produce the dough piece; adough pressing assembly in operational communication with the doughpiecing assembly, the dough pressing assembly comprising a pressingplaten configured to apply suitable pressure to the dough piece to forma pressed flatbread dough piece on a dough contacting surface of a lowerplaten located below the pressing platen, the dough contacting surfacecomprising a substantially non-stick surface; a first cooking zone inoperational communication with the dough pressing assembly, where thelower platen is configured to transfer the pressed flatbread dough pieceto the first cooking zone on the dough contacting surface, the firstcooking zone comprising a heating element located below the lower platenopposite the dough contacting surface, the heating element configured tomaintain a first cooking temperature while the pressed flatbread doughpiece is located in the first cooking zone; a second cooking zonesubsequent to the first cooking zone, wherein the second cooking zone ismaintained at a second cooking temperature for a defined period of timewhile the pressed flatbread dough piece is located in the second cookingzone; and a flatbread ejection station configured to remove a cookedflatbread from the machine.
 2. The machine of claim 1, wherein the firstcooking temperature in the first cooking zone is maintained in a rangefrom about 300 deg. F. to about 600deg. F.
 3. The machine of claim 1,wherein the second cooking temperature is higher than the first cookingtemperature of the first cooking zone.
 4. The machine of claim 1,further comprising an actuation arm configured to transfer the pressedflatbread dough piece from the first cooking zone to the second cookingzone.
 5. The machine of claim 4, wherein the pressed flatbread doughpiece is transferred from the dough contacting surface of the lowerplaten to a cooking surface of a lower cooking platform, where thepressed flatbread dough piece is flipped over while being transferred tothe cooking surface of the lower cooking platform.
 6. The machine ofclaim 5, wherein the second cooking zone comprises a second heatingelement located below the lower cooking platform opposite the cookingsurface, the second heating element configured to maintain the secondcooking temperature while the pressed flatbread dough piece is locatedin the second cooking zone.
 7. The machine of claim 5, wherein thesecond cooking zone comprises a radiant heating element positioned abovethe cooking surface of the lower cooking platform, the radiant heatingelement configured to apply radiant heat to the pressed flatbread doughpiece in a range from about 750 deg. F. to about 1000 deg. F.
 8. Themachine of claim 1, wherein the dough piecing assembly comprises ashaped die through which the flatbread dough mixture is extruded, thedough piece having a shape corresponding to the shaped die.
 9. Themachine of claim 8, wherein the pressed flatbread dough piece issubstantially triangular, square or rectangular in shape.
 10. Themachine of claim 1, further comprising a hopper lid configured to coverthe mixing chamber of the hopper, the hopper lid including openingsconfigured to allow a portion of the raw materials to be added to themixing chamber during blending by the mixing assembly.
 11. A machine forpreparing flatbread, comprising: a hopper comprising a mixing chamberconfigured for bulk addition of raw materials for preparation of aplurality of flatbread pieces, the raw materials comprising at leastflour, water and oil, and where each of the raw materials are not eachengageably stored with the machine prior to addition of the rawmaterials to the hopper; a mixing assembly in operational communicationwith the hopper, the mixing assembly configured to blend the rawmaterials in the mixing chamber, wherein the raw materials are mixed fora time period suitable to allow the raw materials to be mixed into aflatbread dough mixture; a dough piecing assembly in operationalcommunication with the mixing assembly, the dough piecing assemblyconfigured to generate a dough piece from the flatbread dough mixtureextruded by the dough piecing assembly, the dough piecing assemblycomprising a cutting device that cuts an extruded portion of theflatbread dough mixture to produce the dough piece; a dough pressingassembly in operational communication with the dough piecing assembly,the dough pressing assembly comprising a pressing platen configured toapply suitable pressure to the dough piece to form a pressed flatbreaddough piece on a dough contacting surface of a lower platen locatedbelow the pressing platen, the dough contacting surface comprising asubstantially non-stick surface, and where the pressing platen comprisesan integrated heating element configured to preheat a pressing surfaceof the pressing platen prior to applying pressure to the dough piece; acooking zone in operational communication with the dough pressingassembly, where the lower platen is configured to transfer the pressedflatbread dough piece to the cooking zone on the dough contactingsurface, the cooking zone comprising a heating element located below thelower platen opposite the dough contacting surface, the heating elementconfigured to maintain a cooking temperature while the pressed flatbreaddough piece is located in the cooking zone; and a flatbread ejectionstation configured to remove a cooked flatbread from the machine. 12.The machine of claim 11, wherein the pressed flatbread dough piece has athickness from about 0.1 mm to about 3.2 mm.
 13. The machine of claim 1,wherein the mixing assembly comprises a mixing paddle located at abottom of the mixing chamber of the hopper.
 14. The machine of claim 13,wherein the hopper comprises a gate separating the mixing chamber of thehopper from an extrusion trough including a conveying screw configuredto extrude the flatbread dough mixture for cutting by the cuttingdevice.
 15. The machine of claim 14, wherein the gate is released tofacilitate transfer of the flatbread dough mixture to the extrusiontrough after a specified rest period.
 16. The machine of claim 11,further comprising a second cooking zone subsequent to the cooking zone,wherein the second cooking zone is maintained at a second cookingtemperature for a defined period of time while the pressed flatbreaddough piece is located in the second cooking zone.
 17. A process ofmaking a plurality of flatbread pieces, comprising: adding bulk rawmaterials to a mixing chamber of a hopper of a flatbread machine, theraw materials comprising flour, water and oil and, optionally, salt,where each of the added raw materials are not engageably stored with theflatbread machine prior to addition of the raw materials to the hopper;mixing the raw materials in the mixing chamber for a time periodsuitable to allow the raw materials to blend into a flatbread doughmixture, where the raw materials are mixed when a hopper lid is in aclosed position over the mixing chamber and a user activates operationof the flatbread machine; generating a dough piece by extruding theflatbread dough mixture and cutting an extruded portion of the flatbreaddough mixture with a cutting device, the dough piece deposited on adough contacting surface of a lower platen for pressing, the doughcontacting surface comprising a substantially non-stick surface;pressing the dough piece with a pressing platen to form a pressedflatbread dough piece on the dough contacting surface of the lowerplaten, the pressing platen configured to apply suitable pressure to thedough piece to form the pressed flatbread dough piece with a specifiedthickness; transferring the pressed flatbread dough piece to a firstcooking zone on the dough contacting surface of the lower platen, thefirst cooking zone comprising a heating element located below the lowerplaten opposite the dough contacting surface, the heating elementconfigured to maintain a cooking temperature while the pressed flatbreaddough piece is located in the first cooking zone for a specified timeperiod; transferring the pressed flatbread dough piece to a cookingsurface of a lower cooking platform in a second cooking zone, where thepressed flatbread dough piece is flipped over while being transferred tothe cooking surface of the lower cooking platform; and electing a cookedflatbread piece from the flatbread machine after cooking the pressedflatbread dough piece in the second cooking zone.
 18. The process ofclaim 17, further comprising heating the pressed flatbread dough pieceon the cooking surface of the lower cooking platform with a radiantheating element positioned over the cooking surface prior to ejectingthe cooked flatbread piece from the flatbread machine.
 19. The processof claim 17, further comprising depositing at least one drop of oil ormelted butter on the cooked flatbread piece before ejection from theflatbread machine.
 20. The process of claim 17, further comprisingpreheating a pressing surface of the pressing platen prior to applyingpressure to the dough piece.